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Proper Disposal of Household Hazardous Waste: Lesson 3
Proper Disposal of Household Hazardous Waste: Lesson 3
Lesson 3:
Household Hazardous Waste
Lesson’s Concept
Many household products are hazardous, both when they are used and when they are
disposed of. They must be separated carefully from regular waste. Most household
hazardous waste can be taken to a collection site, where some of the hazardous waste
can be recycled. Inappropriate disposal of household hazardous waste can harm the
environment and people.
K–3 Module
and some labels of household hazardous listening, observing, using community
resources, and reading various forms of
Unit 5
waste.
literature and primary and secondary
• Color and put together a coloring book source materials.” (History–Social Science
about household hazardous waste. Framework, page 26)
• Play a relay game to learn appropriate • Students read words concerning house-
disposal methods for various household hold hazardous waste, and they color a
products. corresponding picture. They also write
• Listen to a speaker from the local house- thank you letters to a speaker who visited
hold hazardous waste management site their class.
and write a thank you letter to the speaker. - “Students know about letters, words,
• Design posters that show the proper dis- and sounds. They apply this knowledge
posal of household hazardous waste. to read simple sentences.” (English–Lan-
guage Arts Content Standards for Califor-
CORRELATIONS TO CALIFORNIA’S nia Public Schools, Kindergarten Through
CONTENT STANDARDS AND Grade Twelve, page 1)
FRAMEWORKS - Students write “personal and formal
• By listening to a speaker, students acquire letters, thank-you notes, and invitations
information on how to properly manage . . . (that) include the date, proper salu-
household hazardous waste. tation, body, closing, and signature.”
- Students “retell, paraphrase, and ex- (English–Language Arts Content Standards
plain what has been said by a speaker.” for California Public Schools, Kindergarten
(English–Language Arts Content Stan- Through Grade Twelve,
dards for California Public Schools, Kinder- page 18)
garten Through Grade Twelve, page 20) • Students make posters that show the
- Students “determine the purpose or proper disposal of household hazardous
purposes of listening (e.g., to get infor- waste.
mation, to solve problems, for enjoy- - “Students create original artworks
ment).” (English–Language Arts Content based on personal experiences or
Standards for California Public Schools, responses.” (Visual and Performing Arts
K–3 Module
simulated by using water or paper) to a neighbor to use; for example,
Unit 5
___ At least ten containers from household toilet bowl cleaner? Yes. Tell students
hazardous products with warning labels that it is recommended that the entire
(half containing a cup of water) contents in the container of a house-
___ One motor oil container with water and a hold hazardous product be used up.
label indicating “used oil” If a family no longer wants to use
___ If not using containers, you will need it and someone else wants to use it
“Cards Representing Various Products.” properly, then the family can give it
___ Copies of pages from “Safe House, Safe to someone else.
Me!” (a set for each group of six students) • If a family cannot give away a con-
___ Scissors tainer that still has some household
___ Colored pencils, crayons, or markers hazardous product in it (and since
___ Plastic tarp or sheet the family no longer wants it, and it
___ Five boxes (or five hula hoops) is now considered household hazard-
ous waste), what can the family do?
PRE-ACTIVITY QUESTIONS Don’t know; take it to a special place;
A. Ask students: throw it away. If someone says to put
it in the garbage can, tell students
• How do we usually handle our regular
that it is against the law to put house-
(nonhazardous) waste? We recycle it; we
hold hazardous waste, even if it is in
reuse it; we throw it in the garbage can.
a container, in the garbage can. If the
• What do reduce, reuse, and recycle container breaks or bursts when it is
have to do with trash? Reducing how compacted, the product could injure
much you use so you won’t have as much the person who collects the garbage
trash to throw away; reusing things, recy- or someone working at the landfill.
cling things like aluminum cans. The container could also leak from
B. With the pile of ten empty and rinsed out the landfill into surrounding areas.
containers that have some type of warning
labels placed in front of the students, lead
a discussion:
K–3 Module
unless approved by their parents or guardians. from the household hazardous waste collec-
tion site, do the following:
Unit 5
E. Separate students into two teams: Team #1
and Team #2. • Determine with students the purpose(s)
for listening to the speaker. To get informa-
• Give a set of containers or cards to each tion.
team.
• Develop a list of questions with students
• Ask each team to distribute at least one on what to ask the speaker. For example,
container or card to each student. what happens to the waste that is brought
• Ask the two teams of students to stand to a household hazardous waste collec-
in the middle between the “Household tion center?
Hazardous Waste Collection Site” and • Have the speaker talk to students about
the “Regular (Nonhazardous) House- the household hazardous waste recycling
hold Waste Collection Site.” and disposal site in the community. Stu-
Note: Students might not know where various dents should learn that the first way to
waste should go, so encourage them to guess. deal with a household hazardous product
The labels might give them a clue. The discus- is to use it all up. Then the container can
sion at the end of the game is important for be recycled or placed in the garbage can
students to learn where each waste should have (depending on your community’s solid
gone. waste management opportunities and the
F. Play the game in a relay fashion, but with- directions, if any, on the container).
out having students run. • Show the speaker the actual containers
• One student from each team will look of household hazardous waste that you
at his or her container or card and walk have collected for this lesson and/or the
to the appropriate disposal site, placing cards printed in this lesson, and ask the
the container or card in the appropriate speaker to help students determine the
place. proper disposal for each type of waste.
• These students walk back to their • After the speaker is gone, ask students to
groups, and the next student in line retell, paraphrase, or explain what was
deposits his or her container or card in said by the speaker.
the appropriate place.
DISCUSSION/QUESTIONS
A. Ask students what the difference is between
household hazardous products and house-
hold hazardous waste. Household hazardous
products are products that are used at home
that could be poisonous or dangerous in other Submitted by Christina Lucas, second- and third-grade
ways. Household hazardous waste is the product teacher, Baywood Elementary School, San Luis Coastal
Unified School District.
you no longer want. Explain to students that
household hazardous waste can also be a
used product, such as used motor oil or Resources
used batteries. These can be recycled. Videos
B. Ask students how the game they played is Hazardous Waste, Whose Problem Is It Anyway?
similar to what happens in their community 1989. Available from the Environmental Health
in terms of household hazardous waste col- Coalition, San Diego (10 minutes).
lection. A class goes to different rooms in a house
and looks at the problems of household haz-
Application ardous products and waste. Discusses the
A. Discuss and, if necessary, teach students importance of reading labels, storing house-
how their families can get rid of household hold hazardous products safely, and dispos-
hazardous wastes no longer needed in order ing household hazardous waste safely.
to limit their harmful effects on the environ- Peter Paint and Pals, Produced by Creative Edge
ment and other people. Share with them Communications and City of Chino, 1996.
the information you have found out about Cartoon-type characters representing vari-
household hazardous waste disposal in ous household hazardous products explain
your community. why some household hazardous waste
B. Provide a handout of information on disposal methods are not acceptable and
household hazardous waste for students to discuss how to dispose properly of house-
take home to their families. An example of a hold hazardous waste.
letter to parents and other information that
applies to your community that you will Other Resources
need to complete this activity are provided Call “Earth’s 911” at 1-800-CLEANUP or
at the end of this lesson. visit the Web site at www.1800cleanup.org to
C. Ask students to make posters to inform acquire automated information on locations of
adults of the importance of taking house- recycling centers in your community.
hold hazardous waste to the household
hazardous waste facility.
K–3 Module
Unit 5
Antifreeze is poisonous.
K–3 Module
Unit 5
K–3 Module
Unit 5
Everybody is safe.
K–3 Module
Unit 5
Battery Paint
Our class is studying household hazardous products. Since the safety of children
is our highest priority, we have been studying the various kinds of household
hazardous products they may encounter, including:
- Aerosol cans
- Automotive products (including used oil and used oil filters)
- Batteries
- Cleaning products
- Fertilizer
- Fluorescent light bulbs
- Fuels
- Medicines
- Paints (including wood preservatives and paint solvents)
- Pesticides
K–3 Module
Students have learned that:
Unit 5
• Containers containing any leftover household hazardous products should never
be placed in the trash.
• The contents of household hazardous products should never be poured down
the drain, on the ground, or into a storm drain.
• The contents of household hazardous products that are no longer wanted by the
family that bought them are called household hazardous waste (HHW).
• To protect people and water supplies and to keep our environment from
becoming polluted, the community provides a household hazardous waste
collection site where you can bring your household hazardous waste.
Thank you,
K–3 Module
Unit 5
Mendo-Lake HazMobile collects household hazardous waste on specific days throughout the year in Mendocino and
Lake counties.